Hoist chain container



Nov. 11, 195 E. E. ROBINS ET AL 2,859,937

HOIST CHAIN CONTAINER Filed Dec. 15, 1955 fl frowevs INVENTORS E/m'onnf. Roe/M: take 144 LEICH 54 BY @ZM, @156 am United States Patent2,859,937 HOIST CHAIN CONTAINER Erford E. Robins, North Tonawanda, andLoren W. Lerch, Buffalo, N. Y., assignors to Columbus McKinnon ChainCorporation, Tonawanda, N. Y.

Application December 13, 1955, Serial No. 552,933

2 Claims. (Cl. 254-167) This invention relates to chain hoists, and moreparticularly to improved means for temporarily storing the loose end ofthe load lift chain as the load lift hook rises; whereby the slack chainstrand is reservoired closely adjacent the hoist mechanism instead ofdangling in undesirable manner therefrom.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a structurallyimproved and simplified, detachable chain container as aforesaid forchain hoists or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a container device asaforesaid a novel combination mounting bracket and chain funnel andcontainer support means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device as aforesaidwhich is detachably mounted on the hoist frame in lieu of theconventionally employed chain dead end anchor bolt.

Another object is to provide a container as aforesaid which isself-stabilized against swinging into interferences with the load liftoperation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thespecification hereinafter.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through a chain hoistand a chain receiver of the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view thereof.

As shown in the drawing herewith, the invention is illustrated as beingapplied to a chain hoist comprising generally a frame designatedmounting a rotating lift wheel 12 over which the load lift chain trainsas indicated at 14. At one end, the load lift chain 14 carries the loadlift book 15, and as the load lift chain 14 trains through the chainguide 16 of the hoist and over the load lift wheel 12, the free endthereof cascades downwardly as indicated at 18 (Fig. 1). In accord withthe present invention, the conventional chain dead end anchor bolt isremoved from its socket in the hoist frame, and either the same bolt ora substitute bolt is then employed as indicated at 20 to mount independing relation from the hoist frame a combination mounting bracketand chain funnel device as indicated at 22.

The member 22 may be conveniently cast or otherwise fabricated ofsuitable metal so as to comprise a yoke portion 24 dependent from amounting eye portion 25 and having formed integrally therewith a chuteor partifunnel portion 26 which is open at its top and reachesrearwardly into position under the discharge side of the load lift wheel12. Hence, the loose end of the load lift chain drops by gravity intothe top of the chute device 26 and then slides down the inclined bottomsurface thereof as shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the chute device26 of the member is relatively narrow in width and centrally disposed sothat the discharging chain run is thereby carefully guided to descendinto the approximate center of a cylindrical can or metal box 28 whichhangs from the bracket 22 by means of diametri- 2,859,937 Patented Nov.11, 1958 "ice cally opposed chain links 29-29 interconnecting oppositesides of the container 28 with a pair of registering lobes 30-30extending from opposite sides of the bracket 22. 7

It will of course be appreciated that the container 28 may be fabricatedin any preferred form and of any preferred material; but as illustratedherein the container is'essentially a cylinder having an enlarged heador diameter portion 33 around the bottom end thereof, into whichpress-fits a sheet metal disc 35 forming the bottom of the container. Asshown in Fig. 1, the container 28 is preferably dimensioned verticallyso that the upper edge thereof reaches into abutting relation under thesloping wall of the chute portion 26 of the bracket 22. This bearingaction, in combination with the paired links 29-29 tends to provide astabilized mounting for the container 28 relative to the bracket 22,which is in turn, rigidly mounted to the hoist frame by means of thebolt 20.

Hence, although the container 28 may be readily swung outwardly at itsbottom end upon the support links 29-29 when occasion requires, it willnot swing inwardly at its bottom end toward the load lift chain andhook, beyond a straight hanging vertical position as shown in thedrawing. Thus, by reason of this mounting arrangement the chain looseend container device will avoid any interferences with the load chainand load lift hook and/or with the load lifting operations generally.Furthermore, the arrangement operates to keep the entire loose endportion of the load lift chain reservoired in closely compactedarrangement positionally adjacent to the hoist frame, whereby to avoidany interferences between the chain loose end and the container with thehoist load lifting operations.

It will of course be appreciated that whereas only one specific form ofthe chain container and guide chute arrangement of the invention hasbeen illustrated and described in detail herein, it will be apparent tothose skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited but thatvarious changes may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a chain hoist mechanism comprising a frame, a load lift wheelrotatably mounted in said frame and a load lift chain training over saidload lift wheel and having its loose end discharging therefromdownwardly through an opening in the chain hoist frame, the improvementcomprising in combination a chain loose end guide and reservoir deviceincluding a bracket member con-- nected to a side portion of said hoistframe and having a parti-funnel portion formed integrally with saidbracket; member and reaching underneath said hoist to a pointbelow theregion of discharge of the chain loose end from said load lift wheel,said parti-funnel portion having: a sloping bottom portion inclineddownwardly away from said load lift wheel for free sliding of the chainloose end thereover, and a chain reservoir suspended from said bracketmember by means of freely pivoting links whereby said reservoir isswingable below said bracket under varying load conditions, a top edgeportion of said reservoir being disposed beneath said sloping bottom ofsaid funnel portion, said bracket member and said resermounted upon-saidhoist-frame and having a -gu1de por tion -forrnedintegrally withsaid-bracket--rnemberand reaching underneath the region ofidischarge-of'thechain loose end from said load lift wheel, said guide portion havingaslopingbottom'portion inclineddownwardly for free sliding -0f'-thechain loose end ther-cover, 1 and a -ehain' reservoir suspended-fromsaid 'bracketmember by -means of swingconnectiommeans whereby saidreservoir is swingable below said bracket responsive to varying--lo'adconditions, a top edge portion of said reservoir being disposed beneathsaid sloping-bottom of said-guide portion, said bracket member and saidreservoir being so dimensioned and arranged that said guide portiondischarges said chain loose end and following run to fall substantiallyinto the center of said reservoir and to descend along the verticalcenter. line thereof while being free to reverse-lap fold as it runsinto said reservoir.

References Cited in the fileof thisv patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,286,388 Smith June 16,1942

